Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes (born Trevor Tahiem Smith Jr on May 20, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American hip hop musician and actor, and brother of Brodie Edwards, known as Busta Rhymes the 2nd. Busta Rhymes punningly took his name from former NFL football player George "Buster" Rhymes.
Rhymes is a rapper (and sometime actor) of Jamaican heritage. At the age of 12, his family moved to Uniondale, a suburb of New York City on Long Island, where he was raised and eventually met up with other MCs from the growing New York area hip hop community.
Leaders of the New School
Busta Rhymes' musical career began as a member of the Hip Hop crew Leaders of the New School along with fellow Long Island, natives C. Brown, Dinco D, Cut Monitor Milo. They began recording in 1991 with the album A Future Without a Past (Elektra Records) and soon gained limited fame and acclaim for their danceable beats and clever humorous lyrics on songs like "(Just Another) Case of The PTA" and "Sobb Story".
First impression
Busta made a boisterous debut on "Case of the P.T.A.", his first solo verse literally beginning with a roar:
- "Arrrrggh!
- Busta Rhymes the mighty infamous!
- Always misbehaving and mischievous..."
For many that roar became the first hint of the animated characteristics that would come to be synonymous with Busta Rhymes, since "Case of the P.T.A." was the first and most successful release of the album.
Native Tongues Posse
Many influential and successful Hip Hop crews of the early 90's with styles compatible to The Leaders of The New School were located in and around the border between the Queens borough of New York City and counties of Long Island. Soon after their debut The leaders of The New School became associated with the Native Tongues Posse which led to the group's collaboration with "A Tribe Called Quest" on the Hip Hop classic single "Scenario" released on "A Tribe Called Quest's" second album, "The Low End Theory".
Busta Rhymes performance on "Scenario" is arguably thought of as the breakout performance which led to his becoming a fan favorite and eventually going solo. The Leaders Of The New School released their last album T.I.M.E. in 1993, after which Busta Rhymes began his solo career.
Solo career
Busta Rhyme's debut solo album The Coming was released by Elektra Records in 1996. The album's mix of ragga and hip hop made it a success, and it included the US and UK top 10 single "Woo-Hah!! Got You All In Check". The follow-up, When Disaster Strikes... was successful in the US and sold well overseas. The album produced two hugely popular singles and videos in America, "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" and "Dangerous". The third single, "Turn It Up (Remix)/Fire It Up" (which featured a sample from the 'Knight Rider' theme) was less popular, but only just failed to top the UK charts and was a top 10 hit in Germany, establishing Rhymes as an international star.
The same year he released The Imperial as part of the Flipmode Squad, a collaborative project with rappers Rampage, Lord Have Mercy, Spliff Star, Rah Digga and Baby Sham. Rhymes' fascination with film informed the same year's Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front, which took its title from the disaster movie Deep Impact. The frenetic "Gimme Some More" reached number 5 in the UK singles chart in January 1999 (see 1999 in music). Rhymes enjoyed further transatlantic success in April when the single "What's It Gonna Be?!', featuring Janet Jackson, reached the US and UK Top 10. Rhymes has kept up his work rate, juggling his music career with his acting roles. In 2000 he worked on several movie projects, including the remake of Shaft, and released his final album for Elektra, Anarchy.
After leaving Elektra, Rhymes signed to J Records, a new label started by recently ousted Arista chief and founder Clive Davis. In 2001 he released a greatest hits record alongside a new album of original work. Continuing the apocalyptic theme of his previous albums, he titled his record Genesis. The aptly titled Genesis gave Busta Rhymes a rebirth of success with the hit singles "Break Ya Neck" and "Pass the Courvoisier" produced by well-known hip-hop producers Dr. Dre and The Neptunes.
On November 26, 2002 Busta Rhymes released his 6th studio album It Ain't Safe No More. Its first single, "Make It Clap," was a moderate hit and had a popular remix featuring a sample from Eric B. and Rakim's hit song "Eric B. is President", along with a remix video, which featured Sean Paul and gave the song an even more reggae-inspired flavor. The second single, a duet with Mariah Carey, entitled "I Know What You Want" has been more successful. It reached the top ten of Billboard's pop singles chart and the top ten in rap radio airplay.
Busta Rhymes has recently signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment and will release his newest album, The Big Bang. Some of the album was leaked over the Internet, forcing the record label to place the album in high security to prevent it from being leaked again. There is no official release date.
Busta has appeared in several films, including Higher Learning, Full Clip, Finding Forrester, Halloween: Resurrection and the 2000 version of Shaft, among others.
Over the years Busta Rhymes style has changed significantly. His earlier work is generally considered more creative displaying his talent for unique wordplay and subject matter. It was only after friend and mentor Sean "Diddy" Combs convinced him that his efforts on his first solo album were too spaztic for the club that he changed his focus. Currently his style and subject matter differs little from other mainstream rap acts. As a result his recent albums are not held in as high esteem as his earlier works although they have sold significantly better.
In November of 2005, Busta Rhymes cut off his trademark dreadlocks during a photo shoot in a New York barbershop.
“I started growing [my hair] in December '89. I was 17,” Busta stated. “I signed my [record] deal and said I aint combing my hair no more. I don't have to." Busta now sports a "caesar" style hair cut.
Trivia
- His concert rider reportedly includes a box of ribbed condoms.[1]
- In the filming of Finding Forrester, he arrived on set two minutes late, prompting Sean Connery to give him a late slip.
- His first group, the Leaders of the New School, disbanded during a November 1993 broadcast of Yo! MTV Raps.
- during the shoot of one of his videos his bodyguard Israel Ramirez was fatally shot
Discography
- 1996 The Coming #6 US (Platinum)
- 1997 When Disaster Strikes #3 US, #34 UK (Platinum)
- 1998 Extinction Level Event (Final World Front) #12 US (Platinum)
- 2000 Anarchy #4 US, #38 UK (Platinum)
- 2001 Total Devastation: The Best of
- 2001 Genesis #7 US (Platinum)
- 2002 Turn It Up!: The Very Best of
- 2002 It Ain't Safe No More #43 US (Gold)
- 2004 The Artist Collection
- 2006 The Big Bang
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US R&B/Hip-Hop | UK Singles Chart | |||
| 1996 | "Woo Ha!! Got You All in Check" (feat. Rampage) | #8 | #6 | #8 | The Coming |
| 1996 | "It's a Party" (feat. Zhane) | #52 | #27 | #23 | The Coming |
| 1997 | "Hit 'em High (The Monstars' Anthem)" (with B-Real, Coolio, LL Cool J & Method Man |
- | - | #8 | Space Jam (Soundtrack) |
| 1997 | "Do My Thing" | - | - | #39 | The Coming |
| 1997 | "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" | - | - | #16 | When Disaster Strikes |
| 1997 | "Dangerous" | #9 | #4 | #32 | When Disaster Strikes |
| 1998 | "Turn It Up (Remix) - Fire It Up" | #10 | #7 | #2 | When Disaster Strikes: New Version |
| 1998 | "One" (feat. Erykah Badu) | - | - | #23 | When Disaster Strikes |
| 1999 | "Gimme Some More" | - | #29 | #5 | Extinction Level Event (The Final World Front) |
| 1999 | "What's It Gonna Be" (feat. Janet Jackson) | #3 | #1 | #6 | Extinction Level Event (The Final World Front) |
| 2000 | "Get Out" | - | #35 | #57 | Anarchy |
| 2000 | "Fire" | - | #67 | #60 | Anarchy |
| 2002 | "Break Ya Neck" | #26 | #10 | #11 | Genesis |
| 2002 | "What it is" (feat. Kelis) | #63 | #37 | - | Genesis |
| 2002 | "Pass the Courvoisier, Part II" (with P. Diddy & Pharrell Williams) | #11 | #4 | #16 | Genesis: New Version |
| 2003 | "Make It Clap" (feat. Spliff Star) | #46 | #17 | #16 | It Ain't Safe No More |
| 2003 | "I Know What You Want" (feat. Mariah Carey & Flipmode Squad) | #3 | #2 | #3 | It Ain't Safe No More |
| 2003 | "Light Your Ass On Fire" (feat. Pharrell) | #58 | #23 | #62 | The Neptunes Present: Clones |
| 2005 | "Where's Your Money" (feat. O.D.B.) | - | #65 | - | The Big Bang |
| 2005 | "Touch It" | #31 | #8 | - | The Big Bang |
Samples
- Download sample "Abandon Ship" (with Rampage), from The Coming